The present invention relates to a honing process using a honing machine that has a honing arbor or spindle, the travel or stroke limits of which can be set, and that also has a measuring device, with at least one sensor, mounted on the honing tool for the workpiece that is to be honed, as well as a regulating mechanism for controlling the honing process.
With the heretofore known methods of this type, the measuring process overlaps the honing process. The measurements are effected while the rotating honing tool is moved back and forth in the axial direction, with the honing stones being pressed against the surface of the workpiece that is to be machined. In other words, the measuring process is subjected to dynamic conditions, under which it has been proven the precision of the measuring process suffers. Furthermore, errors in measurement are greater than if the measurements are undertaken under static conditions, for example in a separate measuring station. A particular drawback is that the precision of the measuring process progressively decreases as the machining force and the cutting speed increase, resulting in a detrimental impact upon the precision of the machining. This is true because in order to achieve shorter machining times, with modern honing machines the trend is continuously toward higher cutting speeds and machining forces. However, in so doing, at the same time increasingly greater demands are made for the precision of the machining.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a process of the aforementioned general type that avoids the indicated drawbacks, and assures a very high machining precision, even at high cutting speeds and/or machining forces.